Locations: Gyarados doesn't appear in the wild in Pokemon Red and Blue, so be sure to raise a Magikarp to level 20. Pokemon Yellow players are able to catch a Level 15 Gyarados by fishing in Fuchsia City.

This Pokémon naturally learns the following techniques:

LV 01 - SplashLV 15 - Tackle

LV 20 - BiteLV 25 - Dragon Rage

LV 32 - LeerLV 41 - Hydro PumpLV 52 - Hyper Beam

Tips: It's hard to believe, but this giant sea monster actually evolved from the whimpy Magikarp . Gyarados is dual type, so it may have a few more weaknesses than its single Water-type counterparts, but don't hold that against this fierce creature. Gyarados has some of the highest HP stats in the game, complemented by great Attack, Defense, Speed and Special ratings. While it can't learn Fly (or any other Flying attacks) in Blue, Red or Yellow, it is able to learn a range of powerful non-Water/Flying attacks from HMs and TMs. Again, Surf is a no-brainer for any Water type, but Gyarados can actually also learn Thunder and Blizzard -- which makes it a deadly opponent for any Flying, Dragon, Ground, Grass or Water type. Not bad, eh? Add a move like Dragon Rage, Hyper Beam or Fire Blast and you've got one powerful combatant.

Gyarados is of course great against Fire and Ground opponents, but its ability to learn all kinds of elemental attacks opens it up to kick butt against many other types as well. Never -- never -- use Gyarados against an Electric type. Being a dual Water/Flying type means that it's very susceptible to lightning and thunder attacks. On the flipside, this means that when you're up against a powerful Gyarados, bring in a fast Electric type like Jolteon or Voltorb. Always remember that Gyarados is a very versatile Pokemon and is able to learn Ice, Poison, Water, Thunder and Fire attacks. When in doubt (and you're out of Electric types), use a powerful Normal type to confront it.

By the way, although Gyarados is typically blue, a rare Red Gyarados exist in Pokemon Gold/Silver.

Origin: Gyarados seems like an odd name, doesn't it? Well, it wasn't Nintendo's first choice, that's for sure. Originally, Gyarados was supposed to be called Skulkraken (a pun on "skull," "kraken" and "skullcracking"). Sadly, licensing issues kept Nintendo from using the name and it was changed to "Gyarados" (the Japanese name) last minute.